A little girl learned a powerful lesson about wild animals that we should all remember — even in captivity, they are still wild.

In a video uploaded to social media last year, a little girl was looking at a lion through a thick plate glass at a zoo. Her hands were pressed against the glass as if she wanted to connect with the animal. Then she pressed her lips to the glass as if to give the giant cat a kiss.

The lion looked at the girl for a moment as if entranced by her, and the girl looked back with anticipation — but what happens next is not the reaction the little girl, or anyone else, expected.

The lion reared back and clawed violently at the glass. The girl was stunned for a moment but kept her composure as she realized the glass would protect her. Her mother could be heard heard in the background expressing shock at the lion’s behavior.

This incident served as a reminder that children will be children, and wild animals will be wild animals. Both acted on their instincts in this video.

The girl did not realize that the lion might have perceived her movements as taunts, and she certainly did not expect the kind of response she ended up getting.

This girl no doubt learned that the huge lion she was looking in the eye was very different than the domesticated cats we keep in our homes — something that must be difficult for children to understand (and some adults to remember).

The lion’s ferocity proved just how wild it is and how quickly these animals can act. Their prey could be dead before ever realizing it was being hunted.